Perforation cleaner for oil-well casings



Oct- 13, 1925- R. H. BARE ET AL PBRFORATION CLEANER FOR OIL WELL (SINGS v Filed April 14, 1925 Fig].

Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN H. BARE AND TUBE J. PIERCE, OF TAFT, CALIFORNIA.

PERFORATION CLEANER FOR OIL-WELL GASINGS.

Application filed April 14, 1925. Serial No. 23,033.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that we, REUBEN H. BARF. and TOBE J. PIERCE, citizens of the United States, residing at Taft, in the county of Kern and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Perforation Cleaners for Oilell Casings, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates, in general, to the class of devices or tools for the purpose of removing accumulated obstructions from the perforations of a well casing. In particular our invention relatestothat type of said tools which from their method of use, are commonly known as down-pressure swabs, and which in their ordinary form comprise an assembly of swabbing members adapted to be suspended by the tubing string, and to be reciprocated within the well casing in the Zone or region of the casing perforations, whereby the oil or other liquid below the swab is, on the down stroke of the tool subjected to a pressure which forces it out through the perforations and thus clears them of obstructions.

One object of our invention is to provide a swab which on the down pressure stroke will force the liquid, out through the casing perforations below it, and on the up stroke will automatically open a free passage through it for the return of the liquid and sand from above.

Another object of our invention is to provide a swab which on the down pressure stroke will not only force the liquid out through the casing perforations below it, but will also force the liquid up through it and laterally directit forcibly against and through the casing perforations above it,

' said swab on the up stroke, automatically opening a free communication through itself between the mterlor of the casing above and below the swab, for the return of theoverlying liquid and sand.

lVith these objects in view, our invention consists in the novel perforation-cleaner for oil-well casings which we shall now describe, it being understood that although we have entitled the device in terms of oil-wells, it is equally applicable to other wells; and it being also understood that changes in detail, form and construction of the device may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by our claims herein.

In the accompanyingdrawings, to which reference is now made, we have shown the preferred form of our device.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of our swab, partly in vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the casing being omitted.

1 is the body or stock of the swab comprising a tubular open ended member with a top flange 2, and external foot threads 3.

l are the packing rings, constituting the swabbing members, fitted externally to the body 1 and held between the top flange 2 and a follower ring 5, which is adjusted and held by the follower nut 6 and the lock nut 7 seated on the foot threads 3 of the body.

8 is a valve which slidably passes through the body 1. The upper end or head 9 of the valve is threaded for connection with the tubing string 10, and the base of said head is beveled at 1-1 for seating in the central aperture 12 of a cap ring 12 which encircles the valve below its head and rests upon the top flange 2 of the body.

The cap ring 12 is formed on its under face with radial grooves 13 extending from 1ts central aperture to and opening out at its periphery, sald grooves forming in con junction with the surface of the top flange 2 laterally extending ports leading from the valve to the exterior.

The foot of the valve 8 below the lower end of the body 1 has threaded upon it a nut 14 the projecting upper face of which is adapted to abut against the end of the body and to thus carry said body on the up stroke.

The valve 8 throughout its entire length between its beveled head 9 and its foot nut.

14 is provided with longitudinally directed.

passages 15 which are best made by fluting the valve, as shown; and the foot nut 14- is also provided with passages 16 which are likewise best formed by fluting. The valve passages 15 communicate above both with the interior of the casing above the swab and with the radial ports 13 of the cap ring 12; and below they open into the passages 16 of the foot nut 14.

The well casing is shown at 17, said. casing having the perforations 18.

The operation of the cleaner is as follows :The' tool is reciprocated in the well casing in the region of the perforations, as

is customary with cleaning swabs. On the down stroke the beveled head 11 of the valve 8 seats in the central aperture 12 of the cap ring 12, and thus automatically closes the direct communication of the upper ends of the valve passages 15 with the interior of the casing above the swab. Therefore on said down stroke two cleaning effects are produced; first, the usual one of forcing underlying oil out through the casing perforations below the swab; and, second, of forcing oil up through the passages 16 and 15 of the 'foot nut l4 and valve 8, respectively, and said oil entering the ports 13 of the cap ring 12 is discharged as forcible jets radially outwardly against the casing with the effect of cleaning its perforations above the swab. On the up strokeof the swab,the valve 8 initially sliding up until its foot nut 14: abuts against the lower end of the body- 1, the whole tool rises. This initial lifting of the valve 8 reopens its passages 15 at the upper end to direct communication with the interior of the casing, and thus allows any oil or sand above the swab to freely pass .down through it. This free passage for the overlying oil and sand removes the liability of losing the swab, and renders its reciprocation easy.

lVith this tool .the operation of swabbing can be repeated quickly and as often as desired by simply raising the tubing the height of the derrick, throwing off the bull. ropes, and then lowering, the bull wheel being handled by the bull wheel brake in usual manner.

We claim 1. A cleaner for well-casing perforations comprising an assembly of swabbing members; and a valve member slida-bly fitted through said assembly, having means at its top for a suspending connection and means at its foot for carrying said assembly, and having also a passage communicating below and above said assembly with the interior of the well casing, said valve member functioning by its sliding movement to alternately close and open said upper communication.

2. A cleaner for well-casing perforations comprising an assembly of swabbing members; and a valve member slidabl'y fitted through said assembly, having means at its top for a suspending connection and means at its foot for carrying said assembly, and having also a passage communicating below and above said assembly with the interior of the well casing, said valve member hav ing a head adapted to alternately close and open the communication of said passage with the interior of the casing above said assembly.

3. A cleaner for well casing perforations comprising a longitudinally .apertured body member; packing rings carried by said body member; a valve member slidably fitted through the aperture of said body member, having means at its top for a suspending connection and means at its foot for carrying the body member and having also a passage communicating below and above said body member with the interior of the well casing, said valve member functioning by its sliding movement to alternately close and open said upper communication.

4. A cleaner for wellcasing perforations comprising a longitudinally apertured body member; packing rings carried by said body member; a valve member slidably fitted through the aperture of said body member, having means at its top for a suspending connection and means at its foot for carrying the body member and having also a passage communicating below and above said body member with the interior of the well casing, said valve member having a head adapted to alternately close and open the communication of said passage with the interior-of the casing above said body member.

5. A cleaner for well-casing perforations comprising a longitudinally apertured body member; packing rings carried by said body member; a valve member slidably fitted through the aperture of said body member, having means at its top fora suspending connection, and having also a longitudinal passage communicating above said body member with the interior of the well casing; a nut on the foot of said valve member adapted to suspend said body member, said nut having a passage communicating with the lower end of the Valve passage and with the interior of the well casing below said .body member; and a head on the valve member adapted to alternately close and open the communication of the valve member passage with the interior of the casing above said body member.

6. A cleaner for well-casing perforations comprising an assembly of swabbing members having associated with its upper end .a laterally directed port opening out at the periphery of said assembly; and a valve member slidably fitted through said assembly, having means at its top for a suspending connection and means at its foot for carrying said assembly, and having also a through passage communicating below and above said assembly with the casing interior, and also communicating above with the laterally directed port associated with said assembly. said valve-member functioning by its sliding movement to alternately close and open the communication of its passage with the casing interior above said assembly.

7. A cleaner for well-casing perforations comprising a longitudinally apertured body member having associated with its upper end a laterally directed port opening out at the periphery of said body member; packing rings carried by said body member; and a valve member slidably fitted through said body member, having means at its top for a suspending connection and means at its foot for carrying said body member, and having also a passage communicating below and above said body member with the easing interior and also communicating with the laterally directed port associated with said body member, said valve member functioning by its sliding movement to alternately close and open the communication of its passage with the casing interior above said body member.

8. A cleaner for well-casing perforations comprising a longitudinally apertured body member having a top flange; packing rings carried by said body member; a cap ring carried upon the top flange of said body member and having a laterally directed port opening at its periphery; a valve member slidably fitted through said body member, having means at its top for a suspending connection and a nut at its foot for suspending said body member, and having also a passage communicating below and above said body member with the casing interior and also communicating with the laterally directed port in the cap ring; and a head upon said valve member adapted to seat itself in and unseat itself from the cap ring, to control the communication of the valve member passage with the casing interior above said body member.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

REUBEN H. BARE. TOBE J. PIERCE. 

